Stech’s Week in Rock! (April 10th – 14th)

1976: Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton reached the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first of ten non-consecutive weeks on top and became the biggest selling live album of all time. Today it’s the fourth biggest selling live album of all time.

1976: “Dream On” by Aerosmith peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, two and a half years after its initial release when it only peaked at number 59.

1970: During a Doors concert in Boston, Jim Morrison was dragged offstage by keyboardist Ray Manzarek after Morrison asked the crowd if they wanted to see his genitals.

1962: The original bassist of The Beatles Stuart Stucliffe died of cerebral paralysis caused by a brain hemorrhage in Hamburg, Germany. He was 21 years old.

1956: Leo Fender received a patent for the Stratocaster guitar.

April 11th

1991: Ringo Starr became the first living member of The Beatles to make a guest appearance on The Simpsons. Starr asked to be animated the way he was in Yellow Submarine because he didn’t like his appearance in The Beatles cartoon series.

1983: Metallica fired original guitarist Dave Mustaine due to Mustaine’s alcoholism, drug abuse & personality clashes with the rest of the band. Mustaine later went on to form Megadeth.

1981: Eddie Van Halen married actress Valerie Bertinelli in a gathering of 450 friends and family members. They later divorced in 2005.

1981: The Police peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” which was their second top ten single in the U.S.

1973: The movie “That’ll Be the Day” premiered in London. Some of the musicians with appearances in the movie included Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and David Essex.

1968: Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention performed at a dinner for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in New York City. During the performance Zappa told the audience: “All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you’re going to have to listen to it!”

1963: Bob Dylan’s concert at New York City’s Town Hall was recorded by Columbia Records for a live album that is never released.

April 13th

1993: Then-Massachusetts Governor William Weld declared Aerosmith Day in Massachusetts.

1974: Paul McCartney & Wings reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Band on the Run which went on to sell three million copies in the U.S.

1973: The Who singer Roger Daltrey released his debut solo album Daltrey which went on to reach number forty-five on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & had most of its songs co-written by the then-unknown Leo Sayer.

1970: Led Zeppelin became the first band to sell out the Montreal Forum which drew an estimated 17,500 fans.

April 14th

1982: Van Halen released their fifth album Diver Down which went on to reach number three on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell four million copies in the U.S.

1980: A member of the New Jersey State Assembly introduced a resolution to make “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen the official state song. The resolution didn’t pass.

1975: Mick Jagger announced that Ronnie Wood of The Faces would replace Mick Taylor in The Rolling Stones on their tours of North and South America. Wood officially join the Stones the following February.

1967: David Bowie released his novelty single, “The Laughing Gnome” which consisted of a conversation between Bowie and a creature of the title.